Kiko goat

The Kiko is a breed of meat goat from New Zealand.[1] Kiko is the Māori word for flesh or meat.[2] The Kiko breed was created in the 1980s by Garrick and Anne Batten, who cross-bred local feral goats with imported dairy goat bucks of the Anglo-Nubian, Saanen, and Toggenburg breeds. The breeding aims were hardiness, fast growth, parasite resistance, and survivability with little input from the producer.[3]

Kiko
Country of originNew Zealand
DistributionWorld Wide
UseMeat
Traits
Skin colorvariable
Horn statushorned
  • Goat
  • Capra aegagrus hircus

The Kiko breed was imported into the US in 1992 by Goatex Group LLC.[4] Today, three registries are in the US for Kikos: the AKGA, the IKGA, and the NKR (which is the largest of the three). Kikos can be registered as 100% New Zealand, meaning that their lineage can be traced all the way back to the original New Zealand stock.[5] "Purebreds" are animals that are at least 15/16ths New Zealand stock[5] and "percentages" are those that are at least 50% New Zealand stock.[5] Kikos-Boer crosses can also be registered as Genemaster™ with the NKR.

The Kiko breed continues to grow in popularity particularly in the warm, wet US southern states where drug-resistant parasites have wreaked havoc on southern herds.[6] The Kiko shows a natural parasite resistance that allows it to thrive in climates where other goats do not. The Kiko breed, coming from a dairy background, is also proving valuable to southern dairy herds in providing parasite resistant dual-purpose dairy and meat offspring.[7]

References
  1. Breed data sheet: Kiko/New Zealand. Domestic Animal Diversity Information System of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. Accessed November 2015.
  2. Kiko Goats: A Rare Breed of New Zealand Origin. Rare Breeds Conservation Society of New Zealand. Accessed November 2015.
  3. The Kiko Goat. International Kiko Goat Association. Archived 13 February 2006.
  4. "Kiko Goats in the USA". Rare Breeds Conservation Society of New Zealand.
  5. The National Kiko Registry Handbook
  6. "Growing Parasite Problem in Goats". American Veterinary Association.
  7. "Value of adding Kiko to Dairy Herds for Dual Purpose Offpring -". 20 November 2018. Retrieved 4 February 2019.


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